{"id":4358,"date":"2022-06-14T16:55:04","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T16:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4358"},"modified":"2022-06-14T16:55:04","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T16:55:04","slug":"5150-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/5150-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does 5150 Mean? \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to describe someone as a little crazy? You could use the police code \u201c<em>5150<\/em>\u201d to let other people know to stay away from them. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The police code \u201c<em>5150<\/em>\u201d comes from California State penal code <em>50151<\/em>, describing a mentally ill person placing themselves or other people in danger.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Civilians use the code to describe someone behaving in a crazy manner. If someone is <em>5150<\/em>, they are acting strangely and erratically, and they might be angry or prone to committing acts of violence.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cOfficer in distress, we have a possible 5150 on Lexington Avenue. White male, 5\u201911,\u201d acting erratically and threatening other people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat guy is a genuine 5150. He\u2019s proper crazy, and someone needs to commit him to an institution for his safety and that of others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you hear the cops reporting a 5150, it means there\u2019s a crazy person around, and you should watch out for people acting in a threatening manner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy brother got committed last night on a 5150. The cops found him at the bar, drunk and on drugs. HE started brawling with the cops, and that\u2019s when they arrested him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow can you arrest my mother on a 5150. She\u2019s not crazy. She was just asking why the cops wouldn\u2019t go into the school when there\u2019s an active shooter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA 5150 is the last thing you want the cops to charge you with when they catch you. They\u2019ll have you committed, and you\u2019ll never get out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m pretty sure that counts for a 5150, right? That dude is acting crazy and talking to himself. I hope he doesn\u2019t hurt anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4359\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"256\" height=\"175\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4360\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5150-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"165\" height=\"165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5150-2.jpg 256w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5150-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5150-2-120x120.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 165px) 100vw, 165px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The code \u201c5150\u201d originates from the California Welfare and Institutions Code, specifically from Article 1, Section 5150. The law was signed into power in 1967.<\/p>\n<p>Section 5150 code states people displaying signs of mental illness and present danger to others or themselves, or gravely disabled by mental illness, can be detained for up to 72-hours for psychiatric evaluation in a facility run by registered nurses, peace officers, doctors, or appropriate health professionals.<\/p>\n<p>Many states have similar legislation. However, California is the only state that uses the 5150 code to describe people in this condition.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase became popular on social media along with other police codes like \u201c187.\u201d People use it online to describe someone acting crazy in the chat or on video. Police officers will also use the 5150 code in personal discussions to describe people appearing to behave erratically.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What Is 5150 Involuntary Hold?\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RE-vroBRu7c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to 5150<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Loco.<\/li>\n<li>Crazy.<\/li>\n<li>Mentally unfit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to 5150<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Mentally stable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>5150.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say 5150 Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>Some people may call the police and issue them with a 5150 code to let them know they have a problem with an angry person and they should send a squad car to the premises.<\/p>\n<p>However, the police will need to confirm the code with you, so it\u2019s better not to use it and just describe the situation instead. Only officers of the law use the code, not civilians.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase 5150<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the code \u201c5150\u201d when describing a crazy person who needs to be committed to a psychiatric institution. The code refers to the involuntary commitment of people whose actions put other people at risk. If you\u2019re telling someone they need a \u201c5150,\u201d you\u2019re telling them you think they\u2019re crazy and need help.<\/p>\n<p>You can use the code in social and professional situations where people act erratically and appear like they have a mental health problem. If you\u2019re working in a retail store and a client starts acting crazy, you could tell your partner to call the cops and tell them the code and the reason for the call. If your friend is acting crazy and out of character, you could say they are a 5150.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to describe someone as a little crazy? You could use the police code \u201c5150\u201d to let other people know to stay away from them. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The police code \u201c5150\u201d comes from California State penal code 50151, describing a mentally [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4358"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4358"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4533,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4358\/revisions\/4533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}